Effect of Cigarette Smoking on Selected Coagulation Parameters in Apparently Healthy Male Smokers

Background: Smoking is a significant global health concern associated with increased mortality and morbidity, including cancer development. Tobacco smoke contains carcinogens that can disrupt cellular processes and immune function, potentially affecting coagulation parameters. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the impact of smoking on selected coagulation parameters in apparently healthy male smokers compared to non-smokers. Method: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted at the Department of Physiology, Sir Salimullah Medical College (SSMC) in Dhaka, Bangladesh, from July 1, 2018, to June 30, 2019. Seventy male participants aged 20 to 40 years were enrolled, comprising 35 healthy non-smokers (Group A) and 35 male smokers (Group B). Smokers (Group B) were further categorized into two groups based on pack-years of smoking (group B1 and group B2). Coagulation parameters including prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), bleeding time (BT), and clotting time (CT) were assessed. Results: In this study, age and BMI were almost similar between groups A (healthy non-smokers) and B (smokers), with mean (± SD) ages of 33.17 ± 2.91 and 34.11 ± 3.18 years, and mean (± SD) BMI values of 24.36 ± 2.28 and 24.68 ± 2.33 kg/m2, respectively. There was no statistically significant disparity between the two groups, indicating successful age and BMI matching. Smokers (group B) exhibited significantly lower mean (± SD) prothrombin time (PT) values (11.56 ± 0.87 seconds) compared to non-smokers (13.07 ± 0.77 seconds), with a statistically significant difference (p < 0.001). Similarly, activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) was significantly decreased in smokers (28.42 ± 2.00 seconds) compared to non-smokers (31.50 ± 1.00 seconds) (p < 0.001). Bleeding time (BT) and clotting time (CT) were also significantly reduced in smokers (2.40 ± 0.24 minutes and 5.35 ± 0.29 minutes, respectively) compared to non-smokers (3.48 ± 0.36 minutes .....